The Golden State Warriors are surely going to be the top seed in the Western Conference. Spots 2-4 are up for grabs, though. The Blazers look to gain on second-place Denver with an upset in the Mile High City on Friday night. However, the Nuggets are solid NBA betting favorites.
How to Bet Blazers vs Nuggets NBA Betting Lines & Game Info
Whole lotta highlights from win #50 🎥 pic.twitter.com/TGv75Vb6VD
— Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) 4 de abril de 2019
- When: Friday, 10:30 PM ET
- Where: Pepsi Center
- TV: ESPN
- Live Stream: NBA League Pass
- NBA Betting Lines: Denver Nuggets -6.5 (Total 214.5)
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Season Series
Denver leads 2-0 and has won five straight vs. the Blazers overall – they play again Sunday in Portland. The last meeting was in Denver on Jan. 13 and the Nuggets won 116-113 in a game that featured 19 lead changes and 14 ties. Denver was led by Nikola Jokic, who finished with 40 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists while Damian Lillard led the Trail Blazers with 26 points. In two games against Denver this season, Al-Farouq Aminu has averaged 14.5 points and 9.5 rebounds for Portland. Jamal Murray is averaging 17.0 points and 5.0 assists for the Nuggets vs. Portland.
Why Bet on Portland?
The Blazers remain without their second- and third-best players in CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic (he’s out for season) but continue to play well. They trashed Memphis on Wednesday, 116-89. McCollum worked out before the game and is expected to travel with the team to Denver on Friday, but it’s unknown if he’ll be back in the regular season. The Blazers led by as many as 29 points in the second half after trailing by as many as 10 in the first. The Grizzlies had just 10 players available for the game, and none of the team’s regular starters were available.
Evan Turner triple-doubled again with 13 points with 12 rebounds, 11 assists and two turnovers in 28 minutes. The team kept him out there in garbage time to reach the triple-double. Turner becomes the second Blazers ever with triple-doubles in consecutive games, joining Clyde Drexler. Turner had 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists on Monday for a 132-122 victory over the Timberwolves. It was his first triple-double with the Blazers. Turner, McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic are the first trio of Portland teammates to have triple-doubles in the same season since 1988-89.
Damian Lillard came close to a triple-double, too, with 20 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds, but he sat for the final quarter. Lillard has reached 2,000 points in a season for the second time in his career and the seventh time in franchise history. The most points he has scored in a season is 2,024 (2016-17). Drexler is the only player in franchise history with two 2,000-point seasons (1987-88, 1988-89).
Enes Kanter went off in 26 minutes against the Grizzlies in scoring 21 points with 15 rebounds and three steals. That’s three straight 20-10 games for Kanter, including two 20-15 games. He’s getting a ton more time with Nurkic out. Zach Collins scored a career-high 18 points with six rebounds on Wednesday.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 114.56
- Field Goal Percentage: 46.62
- Three-Point Percentage: 35.79
- Free Throw Percentage: 81.38
- Total Rebounds: 48.05
Defense
- Total Score: 110.24
- Field Goal Percentage: 45.57
- Three-Point Percentage: 35.90
- Free Throw Percentage: 77.10
- Total Rebounds: 42.87
Why Bet on Denver?
The Nuggets bounced back from a one-sided loss at the Warriors on Tuesday with a 113-85 rout of San Antonio on Wednesday. Oddly, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was ejected just 63 seconds in. Popovich appeared livid over a non-foul call and called time out to argue with the officials. After two technicals, he was sent to the locker room at 10:57 of the opening quarter. The last time a coach was ejected within the first two minutes of a game was Washington’s Flip Saunders on Jan. 2, 2012, at Boston.
Nikola Jokic had 20 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists in 29 minutes, making 9-of-10 field goals with five turnovers. Nuggets coach Mike Malone said he won’t rest players until they’ve clinched homecourt advantage in the first round. That could happen with a win here.
Jamal Murray tweaked an ankle during Wednesday’s easy win but he returned to finish with 14 points, 11 dimes and six rebounds in 30 minutes. Murray added one assist, one block, and one 3-pointer, making 6-of-14 shots overall. He rolled his left ankle on Sunday but didn’t miss any game.
Monte Morris scored 19 points in 26 minutes on Wednesday, making 8-of-13 shots with three rebounds, three assists, three 3-pointers, and one steal. The last time Morris scored 19 or more points in a game was Jan. 30.
Denver is 24-2 this season when holding an opponent under 100 points. The Nuggets improved to 32-7 at the Pepsi Center. It’s the best home mark in the West.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 110.78
- Field Goal Percentage: 46.57
- Three-Point Percentage: 35.09
- Free Throw Percentage: 75.77
- Total Rebounds: 46.67
Defense
- Total Score: 106.58
- Field Goal Percentage: 45.75
- Three-Point Percentage: 33.77
- Free Throw Percentage: 75.13
- Total Rebounds: 42.28
Celtics vs Pacers NBA Odds & Expert Pick for Friday Night
Blazers vs Nuggets NBA Betting Trends
- Over is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings in Denver
- Favorite is 5-2-1 ATS in the last 8 meetings
- Road team is 3-1-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings
- Portland is 11-3 ATS in its last 14 games on the road
- Portland is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Portland’s last 7 games on the road
- Denver is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home
- Denver is 21-4 SU in its last 25 games at home
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Denver’s last 5 games at home
Expert Final Score Prediction for Blazers vs Nuggets
Blazers 109 – Nuggets 112
